Thoughts on work. Prevent future burnout.

You heard me say this couple of times now.The way we are working is not working! We are wasting valuable resources, time and energy. There is a tremendous opportunity for leaders to improve how they work, as long as they notice and address their shortcomings.

You probably judge how well you manage your time and energy based on very old beliefs. These beliefs are usually inherited from your dad, mom, or boss.

Especially in traditional work environments, there are very strong cultural rules around how people should work. Most of these rules are no longer applicable. They should be challenged. Let me review a couple of them for you, you decide whether you follow any of these rules.

You arrive work very early and leave very late. You review your performance based on what time you punch in and punch out.

You are glued to your computer’s screen all day long. And pretend that you are preparing a very important report.

You take lunch at your desk, you just can’t leave your desk and never pause to take breaks.

You probably check your emails every 5 minutes to find out if there is an email you should respond to- react to.

You are always busy and pretend to be busy.

You attend every meeting you are invited to. You never question why you are invited to these meetings.

Even though work is complete, you stay around late, pretend that you have a very important and time-sensitive project to complete.

If you experience one or more of these at behaviors at work, you should review the assumptions and beliefs behind them. How easily do you say “no” when the old patterns and triggers kick in?

You may be an efficient workhorse, no question about it.

Do you think that you are obsessed with your work?

How effective are you at using your time and energy?

How effective are you with using your company’s time and resources?

How easily can you turn off work, unplug, and focus on the most essential things in your life?

Want to know more about on this topics, more articles on “Leadership”, “Presence”, and “Workplace Management”:

A Leader in Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management, Evrim Ay is the author of “Sustainable Facilities Management” book. In this blog, he makes a strong business case and a compelling argument for “workplace management“, “wellness“, and “productivity“. He believes that the way we are working is no longer working!